Hi everybody, this is my first post, hope you guys can help me get my first Infiniti and officially join the club I'm in SoCal, contemplating buying a 2005 G35 Coupe from a private seller. I did both the CarFax and AutoCheck and based on other information the owner gave me I know this much:

- it's in fantastic condition aesthetically - interior is super clean, only has tiny crack in one headlight (had to look super close) and a little bit of the panel below the passenger side separating from the body (more on this later)
- made a little screeching noise on first startup (timing belt?) but subsequent startups were totally fine
- test drive was great, couldn't find anything wrong with anything
- bose sound and spoiler (don't care but it adds to price)
- 70k miles, was a pleasure car most recently
- CarFax/AutoCheck shows it was a lease vehicle at the start of its life, a couple of liens reported within a few months, then about a year later had 32k on it
- had a steady owner after that for three years (2007-2010) who drove it less than 10k in that whole timespan, then auctioned to what I think was a dealership
- in January was involved an accident: according to the owner, someone changed lanes without looking, and scratched the passenger side. The touch-up is fantastic except that for the previously mentioned paneling separating just a little, at the bottom of the car right behind the passenger door
- open safety recall regarding airbags - looked it up and it says to have repair done if airbag light goes off - didn't see anything like that
- dude has two other cars and has the common "i have kids now" reason for selling it. Confirmed that he has a family and his main use car is a boring 4 door, so it checks out

He is asking $13k and of course there is CA use tax of around 9%. He says he has rejected $12k before. I plan to take it to a dealership for a thorough inspection next week prior to purchasing anything, especially because I have read that certain issues pop up around this mileage range (oil related). I can take pictures of that panel issue then if it seems crucial.

I'm asking for your collective help because I realize this car is a bit cheaper due to breaking a couple of the rules of thumb of used car buying... however, when I look at each "issue" one by one, they don't seem to be reasons to worry by themselves.

- the accident seems to be all external, and was two cars bumping sides (we will see what dealership says about that panel)
- it may have many owners, but several were middlemen
- better to be a lease vehicle that had further satisfied owners than a rental/fleet
- after first year of heavy driving and dealer service, was lightly driven for years


I don't know, let me know what you think! I may be letting my years of wanting a G35 get to me but I really want to move on to driving it and modifying it

 

What is the "title" clean or salvage?

 

Wow I can't believe I forgot to mention that... it's CLEAN.

 

Price seems fair and because of the mileage. Did you check the blue book to give you an idea?Personally, I would really evaluate the car mechanically first. What part of SoCal you from? From my experiences when I was looking for my g almost 2 years ago, the g's from the LA area really seems either beat up or when"fixed up" wrong(subjective). Price seems to be also be bloated so much. Perhaps try looking from other areas/city. With the cosmetic condition you mentioned, I feel you should get it for less than 13k. I know it's little things here and there and it will also depend on how much it will prompt you to repair/fix them which will cost extra in the future. In the end it is a used car and you can only know and judge what the "overall" acceptable condition for you. Maybe you can post some pics of the car.

 

Thanks for your input. I still need to get it inspected but the seller promises he'll hold it until we can both get it checked out. I don't have close-ups but this picture is from the ad. The body problem is behind the passenger door, on that bottom portion. You can barely see it separating in this picture, which I guess it a good sign of how minor the problem is.

After a couple of weeks of looking it does seem like the best combination of price and use/wear. We'll see!

 

LettuceHat, absolutely get the G inspected. Don't let your long search and desire to own one make you jump too quick. Be patient. Have the alignment checked. If it's out of alignment it may require a camber kit that, if you have someone install it, will cost you the best part of $1000. Has happened to me. Be careful, bro.

 

Thanks. The inspection is absolutely crucial and the seller understands that it is part of the process. I just hope the dealer will be very thorough. I will have to make some quick decisions after the inspection this weekend...

 

Yea get that babd boy inspected. If everything turns comes back normal. Then thats a good deal